good evening boys & girls! i'm finally getting around to do a post on the kick-ass justin timberlake concert which i was so lucky to catch this past tuesday downtown at the staples center! many special thanks to those who were able to hook me up with tickets & great seats (you guys know who you are and i love you!) my spot seriously couldn't have been better - especially because we were in the first row on the side in the middle (section 103) so i was able to toss my feet up on the railing and make myself quite comfortable! (plus i scored the end of the aisle!) i will say though if you have to go to that venue for any reason...leave early people! getting to a proper parking space was a fucking nightmare but luckily when it was over we were able to fly home on the freeway!
opening act pink started promptly at 8pm (i missed like the first five minutes) and played a fairly short but rockin' set! she looked incredible and her body was in top form...not too thin w/ the perfect amount of tone & muscle! she certainly isn't the girliest girl - a total tomboy for sure - i can so see her with tattoed skater super smokin' hubby carey hart! they make a perfect couple in my eye...i hope they'll stay together! (and my thoughts are with both of them...their bulldog elvis drowned in the pool - so sad!) unfortunately a lot of people missed her performance - the place was still filling up as she played which is a total shame since she really did an excellent job - i'm a huge fan to begin with but i hadn't seen her live before and she nailed it! she was also quite personable w/ her clever little quips and then at the end she got all up on a swinging rope with her dancers - way cool! i've been a fan since her first hit single there you go (watch the video) so it was great to finally catch her in person!
PHOTO CREDIT - HALE-YEAH
once she ended the lights came back up - the centered round stage was broken down as timberlake's equipment was set in place with precise postion! around this time was when we started to spot the celebs strolling in...first up was fergie who was with her adorable boyfriend (and now maybe fiancee?) josh duhamel! she was so tiny in person and i thought she looked great and seemed to be in party spirits - as she made her way up the aisle - we were all screaming fergieeeeeee! she turned to us with a gracious smile and then gave us the peace sign! next up was kayne west with his entourage followed closely by p diddy and then right before justin took over there was paris hilton & nicole richie hanging all over each other...say what you want about them but in person they were kinda adorable and i got all swept up in the moment and acknowledged their presence which was cordially received with smiles & more peace signs! (and yes i saw them loading up on junk food at the concession stand with my own two eyes - tweeny type girls were swarming them like flies - it was a drop pathetic) but actually in the end my seats were surprisingly better than the hilton/richie team - i kept my eye on paris who was so wrapped up with whatever her mobile device of the moment is!
PHOTO CREDIT - MKAY-224
the lights were dimmed as the opening beats from justin's latest album futuresex/lovesounds filled the air...i realize that he may not be everyone's cup of tea but no one can deny that he is an incredible talent & performer - from the moment he took the stage - he was in command! the dancing, the singing, and oh yes the cuteness were all running at 110% - he sang most of his latest album and dipped into his first debut album justified (there were no 'nsync' songs except 'gone') now i'm a big fan of his but i'll admit i don't know all of his songs by heart (it wasn't a indigo girls or thetori amos concert) but he kept me entertained through the whole show! one of the cooler things about the show was instead of employing jumbotron type screens - sheets were hung at certain points of the show with live video from the show projected - it looked amazing since the sheets were see-thru plus mixed with some great mood lighting - the visual result was killer!
PHOTO CREDIT - JEREMY LUCIDO
during my new favorite JT song (**what goes around**) the breakdown part at the end justin grabbed a handheld camera and held it close to his face as he finished out the song which created this incredible sorta close-up 'blair witch' look - i was blown away! but once that song ended he took a much needed break and then mega hot producer timbaland took to the stage for a twenty minute intermission that for me was a total highlight! the sound was so good and very loud - he ran through a number of hot beats that he has layed down for people including nelly furtado, missy elliot, and our dear aaliyah (rest in peace baby girl...it was actually her birthday on the 16th - i didn't know we shared the same birthday! my gosh i miss her - such a shame!) it was the perfect break in the middle...he's one of the best producers out there today and totally put the golden touches on both the timberlake & furtado albums! plus he's releasing an album in march called shock value which promises to be on fuego!
justin came back and finished out the show - i was just so impressed by the whole production that included ten dancers and fourteen band members - it was so tight and i would highly recommend catching him when he lands in your city - britney should be wetting herself over the thought of losing him - if i were cute girl in hollywood with access to justin - it would be my mission to hit that - he's more cute than hot but that's just fine by me plus mixed with his singing & dancing he's a total package! whoever scores that next is so fucking lucky! oh my word that was another long post - it probably could be longer but i'll spare y'all the agony! (many thanks to the people who were able to snap pics who are properly credited...i saw five concert-goers kicked out for taking pics...people with cellphones got away with murder) popbytes over & out for tonight...xxoo!
PS with all this talk of cutie justin...he scored his own category here on popbytes! and if you want to enter to win tickets or soundcheck passes to JT's upcoming shows...make sure to check out **jtconcertfan.com**!
PHOTO CREDIT - JEREMY LUCIDO
